Obituary of Deolinda Wagner

Deolinda “Dee” Franco Wagner, 53, of Madisonville, Kentucky, formerly of Anamosa, Iowa, died Tuesday, December 7, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee, surrounded by family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 28, at Nativity Catholic Church in Dubuque, with Rev. Msgr. Jim Miller as celebrant.

Deolinda was born on April 30, 1968 in Guarambaré, Paraguay, to Leocadio Franco and Enma Bernardíta Ortiz. She married Joseph Robert Wagner on June 24, 1990, in a civil ceremony in Guarambaré. Joe was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay at the time. The couple later came to the U.S., and on December 29, 1990, they married at Nativity Church in Dubuque, Iowa. For 29 years they lived, worked and raised their two children in Iowa, then moved to Kentucky in 2019.

Dee held various jobs during her career, most in the health care profession. She worked for 17 years as a Medical Records Clerk at Jones Regional Medical Center in Anamosa. All who knew her will never forget her bright smile and laughter that could light up any room.

She enjoyed quilting, crocheting, cooking, hosting foreign exchange students, being a foster parent, dancing, soccer, hunting and fishing, and raising a variety of farm animals. She was the quickest berry picker west of the Mississippi and made the world’s finest wild black raspberry jelly. She loved to garden, plant trees and shrubs, and maintain a delicious blueberry patch. She also loved feeding the hummingbirds and was an avid beekeeper. Dee was a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Monticello, and an active member of the Amber Community Club, always helping at their pancake breakfasts.

Surviving are her husband Joe and two children: Emily (Haven) Miller of Maquoketa and Obie Wagner of Anamosa; her mother and five siblings: Juana Holland of Anamosa, Ana de Jesús Franco de Zanotti, Enma Luisa Franco de Adorno, Eber Leocadio Franco, and Darío Ismael Franco, all of Paraguay, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father.

The family wishes to thank the staff of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee for their extraordinary care during her leukemia treatment over the last 17 months.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Helping Hungry Hands, a non-profit organization that Dee helped start to ensure students don’t go to school hungry in South America. www.helpinghungryhands.org